This invention relates to oil purifiers which have oil fed to them, such as in-line purifiers for oil circulating in the lubrication, field or other system of a piece of equipment, or oil and water sucked up from a spill and discharged from a pump.
In the past quite a number of different oil filters and similar oil-purifier devices have been proposed and produced. Many of these have comprised filtering elements such as porous sheets, films and cylinders made of paper, cloth, felt or other materials which after a period of use become clogged with impurities and require removal and replacement. Other types of purifiers employ centrifugal force and swirling movements of the oil to effect a separation of heavier impurities including metal particles, water, dirt, etc. from the oil, leaving the latter in a cleaner condition without impairing the lubricating qualities of the same.
The replacement of filter elements which become clogged is costly and time-consuming, as well as being messy and inconvenient. In some instances, the filter elements still have a useful span of time remaining whereby their removal constitutes a wasteful practice.
Purifiers which do not rely on replacement cartridges have drain fittings whereby impurities removed from the oil can be periodically taken out. Such arrangement obviates the disadvantages of the removable cartridge type of filter to a degree, but instead there are ordinarily necessitated numerous, complicated and costly components in the purifier housing, to effect the desired purification. Such devices are also labor-intensive in that considerable expense is represented by the labor needed to assemble the device.
In some instances, movable parts are incorporated in the purifier, and these tend to malfunction after a period of use, rendering the device inoperative whereby replacement of the unit is usually required.